Document record MAB52837 - BANKHEAD

Site of a stone circle.

Site of a stone circle. In 1812 the circle consisted of two flankers and the recumbent (10 ft long, 9 ft wide and circa 6 ft high), and seven erect stones, in a circle circa 25 yards (circa 22.85 m) in diameter. The whole of the interior was rudely paved with stones to a depth of 1 m (possibly remains of a cairn). The New Statistical Account (1845) referred to a supposed altar stone, which presumably was the recumbent stone. The OS 1st edition map depicts an ‘altar stone’, presumably the recumbent stone. In 1866 it was measured as 12 ft (circa 3.65 m) long, 4 ft (1.22 m) wide and 4 ft (1.22 m) thick although drill holes showed that it had been reduced in width, and a dyke had been built across it. At that time it was unclear how it related to the possible stone circle to the north (NJ52NW0009) as locals had no knowledge of it being moved to the present location. Coles (1902) recorded it as 9 ft 8 in (circa 3 m) long, and noted another stone over 5 ft (1.52 m) high, possibly from the stone circle, in use as the western post of a gateway a few yards along the dyke. This and the recumbent were recorded by OS site visit in 1967, and between these two stones several other large broken stones probably from the circle were noted at the base of the dyke. The surviving stones of the stone circle were removed to Bankhead steading (NJ52NW0056) circa 1981 when the wall in which they had been incorporated was removed.

AB 2949 PO, AB 2949 PO (Ground Photograph). SAB12959.

ORDNANCE SURVEY, 1871, Ordnance Name Book, No14(1866) 27 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1360.

COLES, FR, 1902, REPORT ON STONE CIRCLES IN ABERDEENSHIRE IN PSAS 36(1901-2) 488-581, 554-5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB232.

TREVARTHEN, D, 2001, WINTER 2000/2001 FIELDWORK (Bibliographic reference). SAB1986.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, (1845) 851 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Record last edited

Apr 2 2026 8:55AM